Los Angeles, Feb 27 – The biggest shock in Oscars history has taken place when the wrong Best Picture winner, La La Land, was announced by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway whenMoonlight had actually won the award.
Having already won six Oscars on the night, the cast and crew of La La Land were on the stage celebrating their win when proceedings were halted before Moonlight was announced as the real winner, the rte reported.
La La Land‘s producer Fred Berger said: “This is not a joke. Moonlight is Best Picture,” and showed the camera the card that revealed the winner.
Beatty returned to the microphone to say: “I want to tell you what happened. I opened the envelope and it said ‘Emma Stone, La La Land‘ and that is why I took such a long look at Faye and at you.
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. This is Moonlight for Best Picture.”
After a brilliant, politically-charged debut as presenter from Jimmy Kimmel, his work and all the other winners were relegated to the cheap seats as the epic mistake became the most infamous moment in Academy Awards history.
On the night, La La Land‘s six Oscars included Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Director for Damien Chazelle, Best Score and Best Song – but that ‘six of the best’ had become a footnote before the show had ended.
Casey Affleck won Best Actor for Manchester by the Sea, the bereavement drama’s second win on the night after Best Original Screenplay for writer-director Kenneth Lonergan.
As expected, Viola Davis was named Best Supporting Actress for Fences with another favourite, Moonlight‘s Mahershala Ali named Best Supporting Actor – the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.
Along with Ali’s win and Moonlight‘s shock-of-shocks Best Picture victory, the film also took the Best Adapted Screenplay award.
Away from the La La Land/Moonlight eclipse, the longest drought in Oscars history came to an end when Hacksaw Ridge sound mixer Kevin O’Connell finally won an Oscar – it was his 21st nomination.
Irish hopes on the night had been pinned on Ruth Negga – a Best Actress nominee for Loving – Florence Foster Jenkins costume designer Consolata Boyle and the black comedy The Lobster. However, there were no Irish wins on the most shocking night in Oscars history.
